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Keeping a Journal? Probe thermometer?

danigurrl

danigurrl

Kahn's Mommy
I've read a few posts about people who keep journals, or logs, on their snakes. Should I do this for my boys? Or is it mostly just for people who breed? Would it be beneficial? What info would I keep? And how would I arrange it? Any examples?

I know I ask a bunch of questions, haha, sorry.

I actually have another one. I ordered 4 probe thermometers (it was cheaper buying 4 single probe ones than 2 double probe ones.) Where would I place the probe? Under the substrate against the bottom glass? Mid substrate. Or on top of the substrate?
 
To answer your first question, I do keep logs on all my snakes. I keep a notebook for each one, and in it I write when they ate, what they ate, and if there should be any changes in that area. I also weigh them every few months and write that down so I can 'see' how they've grown. I wouldn't think this is a 'must' for anyone, but I remember things better if I write them down. :)

hana
 
Hellooo :)

It's a good idea to keep logs, or journals, of their snakes. Whether you're breeding or not, it's very useful to keep track of your snakes health. It's also useful to get the information down in case you ever sell the snake. Or leave it in someone else's care. They'll know its history.
You won't need to log everything (There was a very funny conversation in chat about this) like everytime it pooped etc. lol. Most important is feeding, what size etc. Sheds are also useful to write down (or type, in my case) and how successful they were. Weight and length is also useful to log.
You can pretty much do anything to keep information. Some use Excel Spreadsheets (You should see Deans :grin01:) Some people use programs specially made (like me) and some go back to basics and use a simple notebook.

http://www.proherp.com/ There's the link to the free program I use.

Now to answer the question. I think the best place to put the probe is right next to the glass. This way you know the highest temperature the snake will ever come into contact with. :) I have a single probe indoor/outdoor, the indoor temp measures the air, but I worry less about the cool side as my snake will move to whereever he's comfortable. And my probe is buried right to the bottom of the substrate and reads a nice 84F :)

Hope This Helps
 
I think keeping records is a good idea for several reasons. It's nice just to be able to look back at the progress, it's good if you ever want to sell said snake, but the info is also a good reference. If anything were to ever go wrong, you have your records to look back on. If I think a snake is taking forever to go into shed, I can look back and see how often it's been shedding in the past. Or..."How many days ago did this snake refuse it's last meal?" Without my records, I couldn't answer a question like that and I only have a handful of snakes.
It's important to have that feeding history in case anything abnormal should happen. That is good info not only for you, but also for people on the forum who you ask for help (or for a vet).
 
I'm a little obsessed with keeping records I think. I record their sheds, feeds, regurges (if any), poops, measurements like weight and length, and general events, such as biting, musking, tail rattling, purchase date, vet visits, probing, etc... I just use MS works Spreadsheet, its basically a cheap version of Excel.
 
Bobo's Mama said:
I'm a little obsessed with keeping records I think. I record their sheds, feeds, regurges (if any), poops, measurements like weight and length, and general events, such as biting, musking, tail rattling, purchase date, vet visits, probing, etc... I just use MS works Spreadsheet, its basically a cheap version of Excel.
Click to expand...
:roflmao: I think you forgot a column for favorite hide... I keep a seperated notebook with a section for each snake with their names, sex, year born, date purchased, each day they were fed and what, refusals, sheds, and weights. This really came in handy when I would freak out every time my amel refused a meal, then figured out he won't eat for about two weeks before a shed....
 
Well I just bought a small postal digital scale off eBay so I can keep track of their weights and their prey's weights each week. :)
 
I bought a big week to 2 page diary and write down pretty much everything! I've got my own little codes or I wouldn't be able to fit everything in, and it's also good to pencil in a few feeds ahead 'who is eating what and when'. Then I just have to open up the diary once a day and I can see who I'm supposed to be feeding, erase the future feeds for regurges etc etc. It's a total mess to anyone but me, but I'd be lost without it! I note feed, prey size, poops, shed phases, crankiness, and anthing out of the ordinary like they tip over their water dish or something. You never know what's going to happen in the future so it's good to be able to look back and get some understanding on why. I also write down a guesstimate on when I need to buy more mice so I don't look in the freezer one day to find one pinkie left :cool:
 
I do plan to breed, but when we bought our first corn, we immediately started a log.
We tracked what she ate when, if there was a refusal, and why (usually if in blue), when she shed and we weigh her every so often.

Over a period of time, there could be a pattern of refusals. I have a snow that just quite eating for 6 weeks, no apparent reason. He's eating again now.
 
Is it bad when your vet pokes fun at you for your record keeping? :rolleyes: I write down when they're feed, size of prey, sheds, poops, regurges, viv cleanings, weight/length of snake, and unusual activity. I need to keep records or I'd never remember who ate what when and such. Plus it's good to have when you go to the vet. Yeah, I'm a little obsessed over my records.
 
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